Transform: 2026: Health and Life Science building taking shape
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Progress is being made on site with the reinforced concrete frame completed to the third floor and concrete pours to the fourth floor slab due to take place this week.
The structural steel frame is being assembled in a controlled manner through the use of a mobile crane working in tandem with the tower crane with completion expected around the end of November. As the building’s primary structure approaches completion the external envelope will be installed starting with low-level cladding to the reinforced concrete frame.
Throughout the project 2nd and 3rd year students from the Reading University construction school will be invited to attend a series of workshops and presentations in our site accommodation. The workshops will be run weekly, presented by members of our current graduate scheme and will offer the opportunity to learn more detail around how large construction projects are delivered. This will include the use of digital tools, BIM Level 2 and sharing experiences and advice around a career in construction.
The project demonstrates the University commitment to 2026: TRANSFORM capital investment programme, with £60m being invested to bring about closer integration of the school with the consolidation of the School of Biological Sciences from five buildings into a single new building, retaining the current use of the Hopkins building. It will provide adaptable teaching laboratories which cater to both biomedical sciences and whole organism biology, allowing for flexible timetabling and increased utilisation.